Bug Report Archive (dumpstate)

Location

Description

Compressed archive file generated by the Android dumpstate service (triggered via developer options or ADB bugreport command) containing a comprehensive snapshot of the device state. The archive includes system properties, running processes, memory usage, battery statistics, network configuration, installed packages, logcat output, kernel messages, dumpsys output for all system services, and ANR (Application Not Responding) traces.

Forensic Value

A bug report archive is one of the most information-dense single artifacts available from an Android device, aggregating data that would otherwise require dozens of individual artifact extractions. The dumpsys output includes detailed state information for every system service including activity manager (running apps), package manager (installed apps), network stats (per-app data usage), alarm manager (scheduled events), and notification manager (recent notifications). If a bug report was generated near the time of the incident, it provides a frozen-in-time view of the complete device state. Previously generated bug reports stored on the device also capture historical snapshots that may predate the investigation.

Tools Required

Collection Commands

adb bugreport /forensics/bugreport.zip

adb pull /data/user_de/0/com.android.shell/files/bugreports/ /forensics/bugreports/

python3 aleapp.py -t tar -i /path/to/extraction -o /forensics/output/

Collection Constraints

• •Availability depends on Android version, OEM build, encryption state, privilege level, and whether the collection was logical, rooted, or full-filesystem. OEM-specific builds may move or rename stores.
• •Mobile application data may be partially cached, excluded from backup, or pruned by the OS. Validate against the extraction type before treating gaps as meaningful.

MITRE ATT&CK Techniques

References